Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1887-02-10
HILDA'S Discovery.
BY NATHAN ID. URNER.

by NATHAN ID. URNER.
In the guileless love and hope of hel
youthful heart Hilda Delorme had imag-
ined that her marriage had been attended
by exceptional auspices of happy and un-
clouded future; but her honeymoon had
hardly begun to wane In the beautiful an
cestral seaside home to which her lover
husband, Archibald Delorme, had borne
her directly after the ceremony that had
made them one, before her breast grew
troubled with strange doubts and fears.
She gradually became conscious of his
being frequently preoccupied with other
thoughts than those pertaining to herself;
an expression of melancholy and reserve
grew blended with the gentle looks that he
so often fastened upon her face; he was
subject to sudden mutterings and ftful
starts when he deemed himself unobserved;
and there were other indications of secret
trouble preying on his mind, to which all
his 0sseverations to the contrary, when she
taxed him with the change, were insufficient
TO blind her. And ut last, one day, when
her waiting maid, in answer to q que
ry as to the whereabouts of her
master, replied carelessly that she
had seen him walking on the
cliffs with q strange woman, to all appear
ances q sort of mendicant, Hilda's heart
gave great painful leap, and she felt a
sickening, suspicious sensation such as is
only known to those whose jealousy is in
proportion with their love.
81 couldn't see who or what the strange
woman was, ma'am," was all the menial
coald say, in answer to the eager but care
fnllp uailad- ga -As. .s;Al al has
mistress at once began to follow up this
bit of information. Il was coming up
from the fishing village, and their backs
were turned toward me as L saw them
strolling along the edge of the cliffs. l
only noticed that the woman with Mr.. De-
lorme appeared to be tall and shapely. She
also seemed to be we'll dressed, and l
marked something beseeching like in her
gestures, which made me think she must
be begging aims. But my master seemed
10 be sternly refusing all her appeals. He
was shaking his head and his walking
stick at the same time, as the beech trees
shut 'em out from view."
Hilda finally forbore any further ques-
tioning, but the poison of distrust had by
this time unequivocally entered her soul.
What could it mean? Was il an affair with
some other woman that had caused the
slight but still perceptible change in her
husbands manner toward herself? The
very supposition was torture.
He entered the house not long after
ward, but she cloaked the feelings that
were depressing her, and set herself to
watching him narrowly. 1t seemed TO her
that no betrayed even more preoccupation
and nervousness than she had yet remarked
in him, though he abated nothing of the
courtlv kindliness with which he had ever
greeted her; and finally, when he pleaded a
pressing business affair at the neighboring
city of Halifax as an excuse for not partak-
ing of the accustomed luncheon with her,
her jealous apprehensions grew apace.
You've been out walking ever since
breakfast, Archy," said she, petulantly.
"Can't you remain with me now?"
"You must know that nothing would
please me better, Hilda, darling" he re-
piled, kissing her; "but the affiir that sum-
mons me to the city is as pressing as it is
unpleasant. l may sometime tell you about
it, he added, with much gravity; "but at
present il would only distress you need
lessly. 1 will not keep you waiting dinner,
be sure"
She made no further effort to detain
him, as he kissed her again, anG, resuming
his hat and cane which he had but momen-
tarily cast aside, passed out of the charming
summer drawing room in which they had
been speaking together. A moment later he
moved along the graveled walk outside, with
his bowed head still bare, and listlessly
swinging his hat and cane in one hand,
while the other was pensively thrust in the
bosom of his overcoat.
Hilda felt miserably. She looked eagerly
after him through the great bow window,
with her breast heaving and falling pain
fully, and one jeweled hand clenched
tightly at her fair white throat, as though
TO still its bitter and rebellious throbbings.
"There's mystery here-you are keeping
q secret from me, Archibald Delorme," she
muttered between her teeth; "and must
find il out, or sleep no more"
She threw herself into fauteuil, rested
her chin upon her hand, and, while beating
tattoo upon the rich carpet with her pretty
foot, began to recall the circumstances Of
her marriage, in whose rosy retrospect she
certainly failed to find any premonitions
of the doubts and suspicious that had grown
80 distressing. She had first made her
husbands acquaintance in her own refined
and happy home in England. He was
known TO be well-born, as we'll as rich; her
parents had welcomed his suit for her
hand; and, though he had always main
tanned q certain reticence concerning his
past life, he had borne an exalted reputa-
ton among his select and rather narrow
circle of friends, and lastly, he had wooed
her with such manly eanestness and deli
cacy as 10 speedily win the overhowing and
undivided affection of her youthful heart,
in spite of the difference in their ages, for
he was fully twenty years her senior.
Then, directly after their marriage, he
had brought her over seas to this fine old
Acadian home, with its superb grounds, its
romantic sea views, its numerous servants,
and its noble appointments, which he had
inherited from grand uncle on his moth
er's side but q short time previous 10 his
union with her. Here, mistress of all she
surveyed, she had lived like happy little
queen, with her slightest wish as law,
petted and admired by the best people of
the neighborhood. one Of the acknowl-